Ski edge sharpener

ABSTRACT

A hand operated tool for sharpening metal edges of snow skis comprising an enclosure supporting a first shaft on which is mounted a series of equal diameter, cylindrical cutting disks and abrasive wheels, and a second shaft mounting only abrasive wheels, which are spaced parallel such that the peripheries of the disks and wheels on one shaft overlappingly intersect at right angles the peripheries of the wheels on the other shaft and thereby tangentially engage right angularly related surfaces forming the running edge of the ski when the tool is guided lengthwise over the ski bottom.

United States Patent [191 Bradbury [4 Aug. 19, 1975 l l SKI EDGE SHARPENER [76] Inventor: Wilburn F. Bradbury, 1234 Ridgewood Dr., Northbrook, Cook, 111. 60062 [22] Filed: June 14, 1974 21 Appl.No.:479,432

[58] Field of Search 76/83, 88, 89; 51/205 WS, 51/208, 214; 280/1137 T [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,324,512 12/1919 Maurer 51/214 2,461,690 2/1949 Leong 51/208 FORElGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,525,771 4/1968 France 76/88 Primary ExaminerLeonidas Vlachos [57] ABSTRACT A hand operated tool for sharpening metal edges of snow skis comprising an enclosure supporting a first shaft on which is mounted a series of equal diameter, cylindrical cutting disks and abrasive wheels, and a second shaft mounting only abrasive wheels, which are spaced parallel such that the peripheries of the disks and wheels on one shaft overlappingly intersect at right angles the peripheries of the wheels on the other shaft and thereby tangentially engage right angularly related surfaces forming the running edge of the ski when the tool is guided lengthwise over the ski bottom.

7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures SK] EDGE SHARPENER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Sharpening tools and more particularly hand operated tools for sharpening and abrading metallic running edges of snow skis.

2. Description of the Prior Art Sharpeners for metal edges on skis generally employ a tool such as a file, adapted to engage one surface of the ski edge. Such cutting implements are normally contained in a hand-held mounting, the operator pressing the cutting bits of the file against the ski edge, pushing the same lengthwise of the ski to remove shavings of metal. This serves to dress one metal surface to restore sharpness to a rounded or dull corner, usually the outer edge surface bordering the sides of the ski. Sharpeners of a like nature have been made with pairs of overlapping files angularly arranged end-to-end to simultaneously remove metal chips from both edges. In still other areas, unrelated to ski sharpening, tools using rotatably mounted cutting disks provide a narrow V- shaped slot within which a knife blade may be drawn back and forth to effect sharpening thereof, the cutting edge thus formed having an acute angle necessary for such cutting instruments. Sharpeners of the naure de scribed, although effective in their sharpening action, generally produce a ski edge which is rough and burred along the corner of the mating surfaces.

To properly sharpen a ski edge it is desirable to maintain an extremely sharp corner at the intersection of the two edges while removing as little metal as possible from the bottom surface in order to preserve the planer alignment of the running surface and the metal edge. Furthermore, the edges should be honed to a fine finish for smooth running over the snow.

So far as I am aware. the present state of the art has failed to provide a facile hand tool for sharpening and maintaining the metal edges of a snow ski in the above described desirable manner.

In my co-pending application, Ser. No. 331,069, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,123, I disclose a sharpener employing pairs of abrasive wheels rotatably mounted on parallel axles with a right angular slot formed therebetween for simultaneously abrading both the side and bottom of the ski edge. This tool produces a sharp and smooth corner along the ski edge and is useful for removing burrs caused by impact with rocks, stones etc., also as a tool for polishing away accumulated corrosion following out of season storage. A hand operated abrader of the type referenced does however require considerable abrading to remove the quantity of metal necessary to restore the desired sharpness to well worn edges.

The present invention therefore combines the desirable features of the above referenced application with the disk type knife sharpener to provide an effective, easy to use hand tool to accomplish the proper shapening function.

The primary object of this invention is therefore to provide a simple. easy to operate hand tool to sharpen the metal edges of snow skis.

Another important object is to provide a ski edge sharpener utilizing in combination. cylindrical cutting disks and abrasive wheels to effect a right angular formation of intersection surfaces conforming to the ski edges to be sharpened.

An additional object is to provide a ski edge sharpener which will simultaneously shave the side snow engaging edge and will deburr and hone the bottom running surface thereof.

Another object is to provide a ski edge sharpener with rotatable adjusting means for presenting multiple, unused cutting and abrading surfaces for prolonging the life of such a tool.

Another important object is to provide a dual purpose ski edge sharpening tool first to be used to shave the ski edges to restore a sharp comer and then used to hone the same to a fine smooth finish.

A still further object is to provide a hand tool for sharpening ski edges which includes dual means for positively guiding the tool in a manner to insure shaving and/or honing the edges in planes substantially coincident with the plane of the ski bottom and at right angles thereto.

And a final important object of this invention is to provide a tool for sharpening ski edges which is compact, light in weight, and may be easily transported in a jacket pocket or the like.

SUMMARY In brief, this invention employs cylindrical cutting disks and abrasive wheels mounted on the first of two parallel shafts, and a cylindrical abrasive wheel similarly mounted on the second shaft, the rotational centers of which are spaced to provide a right angular relationship between the overlapping peripheries of the adjacent cylinders. The cylindrical abrasive wheels of the first shaft have undercut areas on their peripheries which, when rotated out of contact with the ski edge, will allow only the cylindrical cutting disks to engage the metal surface. As a result, manual movement of the tool along the length of the ski while guiding the tool on the running surface of the ski bottom will shave the side of the metal edge by the sharp edges of the slightly canted metal disks while the bottom of the ski edge is abraded to remove any residual burrs caused by the shaving action. Following this procedure, the cylindrical abrasive wheels of the first shaft may be rotated into contact with the shaved edge to thus inhibit further cutting by the disks, and continued movement of the tool along the ski bottom will produce an extremely sharp and smooth right angular snow engaging edge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The objects of this invention are shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a cross sectional view of the sharpening tool according to this invention operatively associated with a ski;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view showing the working components;

FIG. 3, A and B shows details of the cutting disks and abrasive wheel relationship;

FIG. 4, A and B shows the relationship of the disks and wheels in a second mode of operation;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view showing another arrangement of the cutting disks and abrasive wheels;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the geometrical relationship of the cutting and abrasive wheel elements;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view in operational position on the ski bottom; and,

FIG. 8 illustrates another mode of operation of the sharpener.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Having reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, a sharpening tool according to this invention comprises a unitary enclosure 10 formed to fit in the palm of an operators hand so as to be grasped between the thumb and extended fingers. The enclosure 10 includes a leftwardly extending guide supporting member 12, the-outermost end of which provides a planer guide surface 14 adapted to engage the planer bottom or running surface of the ski 15 to guide the tool along the length of the ski bottom. The supporting member 12 is integral with and merges into a wall section 13 of generally curvilinear profile which forms a cover for the enclosure 10. The enclosure 10 also includes at its right hand side a downwardly extending guide supporting member 16, the bottommost end of which provides a second planer guide 17 which will guide the tool on the bottom running surface 15 in an alternate mode of operation shown in FIG. 8.

The enclosure 10 has a substantially open bottom and is enclosed on three sides by wall portions 12 and 13 and two laterally spaced side walls 18, FIG. 2. In practice it is contemplated that the enclosure 10 may be a formed metal stamping or molded rigid plastic.

As shown in FIG. 2, the enclosure 10 forms a protective cover for a pair of cylindrical cutting disks 19 mounted on each end of axle 20, which is one of a pair of parallel axle shafts 20 and 21, and a pair of cylindrical abrasive wheels 22 mounted therebetween. A similar pair of abrasive wheels, or a single elongated wheel 24, is mounted on the axle 21 between the wheels 22. The axle 20 does not extend to the side walls 18 but is shorter for a reason which will now be explained. Having reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, and particularly to FIG. 3A, the axle 20 is a tubular member which extends somewhat beyond the side surfaces of the wheels 22 at both ends thereof. The extending ends 23 are flared to retain the wheels 22 thereon in a laterally spaced relationship. A pair of headed shafts 25 are mounted through holes 32 in side walls 18 andproject into the hollow ends of the shaft 20 and are therein retained by means such as a press fit, for example. Inwardly projecting bosses 26 of the side walls 18 surround the holes 32, and between the surfaces of these bosses and the ends of the shaft 20 there is space for the disks 19 to cant away from the direction of motion 'as the tool is pushed or pulled along the ski bottom, the hole through i the center of the disk being somewhat larger than the diameter of the shaft 25 upon which it is mounted. Movement of the tool and the angular relationship of the disk 19 and the metal edge 28 will cause the sharp periphery 27 of the disk 19 to shave material from the surface of the latter. As the wheels 22 and the disks 19 are of equal diameters the wheels would normally'prevent canting of the disks and inhibit their shaving acedge 28 will be abraded or honed to a fine finish by the surface of the abrasive wheels 22.

With the relationship of the cutting disks and abrasive wheels in mind, it will be understood, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 6 that when the tool 10 is positioned on the ski 15, the guide surface 14 of the projection 12 engages the bottom running surface of the ski, while the curved housing wall portion 13 subtends along the one side edge thereof. So positioned with the wheels 22 turned in the position of FIG. 3A, the peripheries of cutting disks 19 contact the right angularly related intersection surface of the snow engaging outer boundry of the metal edge member 28 which familiarly comprises an elongated metal strip, either unitary or in sections, inset into the ski bottom along the lateral margins of the bottom surface of the ski. In the'inverted position of the ski as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7, the two shafts 20 and 21 lie in the plane of and above the guide surface respectively, while the disks l9 oppose the outer edge 30 and the wheel 24 rests on the top surface 31. By applying pressure to the tool substantially, rests in the direction of the arrow P, Shown in FIG. 1, the resultant force imposed on the axles 20 and 21 and thus the cutting disks l9 and abrasive wheels 24, causes the former to engage edge 31 in an abra'ding manner, substantially at their line of intersection as diagrammed in FIG. 6.

To operate the tool it is manually reciprocated along the ski bottom while while pressing the enclosure toward the ski edge. This action causes canting of the disks to present a cutting edge to the side 30 and an abrading or honing surface to edge 31, thereby producing an extremely sharp comer characterized by slightly concave surfaces in accordance with the contours of disks 19 and wheels 24.

As the portions of the disks contacting the metal members will gradually become rounded and dull, each disk may be rotated slightly to provide new cutting edges, likewise. as the portions of the wheels engaged with the metal members gradually wear or clog with metal particles, they too may be rotated to provide fresh abrading surfaces.

When the ski edges are only slightly dulled and have burrs and nicks caused by contact with rocks it may not be necessary or desirable to shave the side edge 30 but merely abrading is sufiicientsln this case the flats 29 of tion, therefore the wheels 22 have flattened or cut away sections 29 in their peripheries which. when turned in the position shown in FIG. 313. will allow the disks 19 to contact the edge 28 in a canted position. When the wheel 22 is rotated so its flat section 29 is away from contact with the edge 28 as shown in FIG. 4B. the disks will be inhibited in their shaving action. therefore the the wheels 22 are rotated to allow the wheel peripheries to contact the edge 30 as shown in FIG. 43, thus the disks 19 will be inhibited in their shaving action and the edge will be abraded simultaneously with the abrading of the bottom surface 31 by the wheels 24.

In cases of extreme dullness of the edges it may be necessary to remove considerable metal from both the side edge 30 and the the bottom edge 31. To this end a still further application of the tool is shown in FIG. 8, wherein the body 10 may beemployed inan inverted position with the guide surface 7 now resting on the bottom running surface 15. In this position. and with the wheels 22 presenting their flat portions 29 to the edge 31, the latterv may be shaved in the same manner asdescribed earlier.

It is further contemplated and forms a significant part of this disclosure that a simplified version of this ski edge sharpener can be constructed as shown in the boton shaft 21 are spaced from the side walls l8by collars 33 and are separated laterally by a tubular spacer 34. In this preferred embodiment the spacer 34 is in the form of a compression spring which presses the two abrasive wheels against the collars 33 in a manner to resiliently restrict lateral movement of the wheels as the tool is pushed along the ski edge. The length of the collars 33 provide the same clearance distance for canting of the disks 19 that is provided as shown in FIG. 3.

Thus l have disclosed two embodiments of a new and improved ski edge sharpener for ease in renovating and maintaining snow ski edges by the average skier so he may enjoy improved control and safety, particularly while skiing on hard packed snow or when icy conditions prevail.

Other embodiments and modifications of this invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and all such of these as come within the spirit of this invention are included within its scope as best defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tool for sharpening metallic edge members marginally bordering the bottom running surface ofa snow ski comprising in combination:

A. a hollow body having elongated guide means adapted to operatively engage the bottom running surface of the ski;

B. first and second shafts mounted parallel in said body, the axes of which parallel said edge member in the operating position of the tool;

C. at least one cutting disk mounted on the first of said shafts, said shaft having its axis in the plane of the bottom running surface of the ski;

D. at least one abrasive wheel mounted on the second shaft having its axis spaced above the plane of the bottom running surface of the ski a distance of onehalf the diameter of said abrasive wheel;

E. the peripheries of said cutting disk and said abrasive wheel overlappingly intersect to provide tangential engagement with opposing intersecting surfaces of said edge member, whereby, to-and-from motion of the tool longitudinally of said ski simultaneously shaves the side surface and abrades the bottom surface of said edge member to form a sharp snow engaging corner at the intersection thereof.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said disk and said wheel are rotatably mounted on said shafts for selected rotational adjustment to provide multiple unworn cutting and abrading surfaces.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein at least two cutting disks and at least two abrasive wheels are mounted in axially spaced relation on each of said shafts to cooperate with said guide means for laterally stabilizing the tool in operation.

4. The invention of claim 2 including:

at least one second abrasive wheel also mounted on said first shaft, said second abrasive wheel having a diameter equal to the diameter of said disk and rotatable to at least two different angular positions, and provided with a portion of its surface below the surface of its periphery; whereby, the side surface of said edge member is shaved by said disk when the periphery of said second abrasive wheel is rotatably positioned out of engagement with the side surface of said edge member; and whereby, the side surface of said edge member is abraded when the periphery of said second abrasive wheel is rotatably positioned to engage the side surface of said edge member.

5. A tool for sharpening metallic edge members marginally bordering the bottom running surface of a snow ski comprising in combination:

A. a hollow body having guide means adapted to operatively engage the bottom running surface of the ski;

B. first and second shafts mounted parallel in said body, the axes of which parallel said edge member in the operating position of the tool;

C. at least one cutting disk and one abrasive wheel mounted on the first of said shafts, said shaft having its axis in the plane of the bottom running surface of the ski, and said abrasive wheel provided with a portion of its surface below the surface of its periphery and having a diameter equal to the diameter of said disk;

D. at least one abrasive wheel mounted on the second shaft having its axis spaced above the plane of the bottom running surface of the ski a distance of onehalf the diameter of said abrasive wheel;

E. the peripheries of said cutting disk and said abrasive wheel of said first shaft and the periphery of the abrasive wheel of said second shaft overlappingly intersect to provide tangential engagement with opposing intersecting surfaces of said edge member; whereby, to-and-fro motion of the tool longitudinally of said ski will simultaneously abrade the bottom surface of said edge member and shave the side surface when said abrasive wheel of the first shaft is rotatably positioned with its periphery out of engagement with the side surface of said edge member, or will abrade the side surface of said edge member when the the same said abrasive wheel is rotatably positioned to engage the side surface of said edge member.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein said disk and said wheel of the first shaft and the wheel of said second shaft are rotatably mounted on said shafts for selected rotational adjustment to provide multiple unworn cutting and abrading surfaces.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein at least two cutting disks and two abrasive wheels are mounted on said first shaft axially spaced to cooperate with said guide means for laterally stabilizing the tool in operation. 

1. A tool for sharpening metallic edge members marginally bordering the bottom running surface of a snow ski comprising in combination: A. a hollow body having elongated guide means adapted to operatively engage the bottom running surface of the ski; B. first and second shafts mounted parallel in said body, the axes of which parallel said edge member in the operating position of the tool; C. at least one cutting disk mounted on the first of said shafts, said shaft having its axis in the plane of the bottom running surface of the ski; D. at least one abrasive wheel mounted on the second shaft having its axis spaced above the plane of the bottom running surface of the ski a distance of one-half the diameter of saId abrasive wheel; E. the peripheries of said cutting disk and said abrasive wheel overlappingly intersect to provide tangential engagement with opposing intersecting surfaces of said edge member, whereby, to-and-from motion of the tool longitudinally of said ski simultaneously shaves the side surface and abrades the bottom surface of said edge member to form a sharp snow engaging corner at the intersection thereof.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said disk and said wheel are rotatably mounted on said shafts for selected rotational adjustment to provide multiple unworn cutting and abrading surfaces.
 3. The invention of claim 2 wherein at least two cutting disks and at least two abrasive wheels are mounted in axially spaced relation on each of said shafts to cooperate with said guide means for laterally stabilizing the tool in operation.
 4. The invention of claim 2 including: at least one second abrasive wheel also mounted on said first shaft, said second abrasive wheel having a diameter equal to the diameter of said disk and rotatable to at least two different angular positions, and provided with a portion of its surface below the surface of its periphery; whereby, the side surface of said edge member is shaved by said disk when the periphery of said second abrasive wheel is rotatably positioned out of engagement with the side surface of said edge member; and whereby, the side surface of said edge member is abraded when the periphery of said second abrasive wheel is rotatably positioned to engage the side surface of said edge member.
 5. A tool for sharpening metallic edge members marginally bordering the bottom running surface of a snow ski comprising in combination: A. a hollow body having guide means adapted to operatively engage the bottom running surface of the ski; B. first and second shafts mounted parallel in said body, the axes of which parallel said edge member in the operating position of the tool; C. at least one cutting disk and one abrasive wheel mounted on the first of said shafts, said shaft having its axis in the plane of the bottom running surface of the ski, and said abrasive wheel provided with a portion of its surface below the surface of its periphery and having a diameter equal to the diameter of said disk; D. at least one abrasive wheel mounted on the second shaft having its axis spaced above the plane of the bottom running surface of the ski a distance of one-half the diameter of said abrasive wheel; E. the peripheries of said cutting disk and said abrasive wheel of said first shaft and the periphery of the abrasive wheel of said second shaft overlappingly intersect to provide tangential engagement with opposing intersecting surfaces of said edge member; whereby, to-and-fro motion of the tool longitudinally of said ski will simultaneously abrade the bottom surface of said edge member and shave the side surface when said abrasive wheel of the first shaft is rotatably positioned with its periphery out of engagement with the side surface of said edge member, or will abrade the side surface of said edge member when the the same said abrasive wheel is rotatably positioned to engage the side surface of said edge member.
 6. The invention of claim 5 wherein said disk and said wheel of the first shaft and the wheel of said second shaft are rotatably mounted on said shafts for selected rotational adjustment to provide multiple unworn cutting and abrading surfaces.
 7. The invention of claim 6 wherein at least two cutting disks and two abrasive wheels are mounted on said first shaft axially spaced to cooperate with said guide means for laterally stabilizing the tool in operation. 